In the telecommunication industry, utility industry, and other related industries, it is common practice to locate electrical and electronic hardware devices and equipment outdoors (collectively referred to herein as electronic devices), in electronic enclosures, and in various types of structures such as dwellings and/or equipment shelters. Generally, the electronic devices are located in an enclosure or in a structure for protection against ambient weather and other environmental conditions. These enclosures may be formed of several materials such as metal, polymer, plastic, ceramic, glass, crystal, and/or combinations thereof. Also, the enclosures may be formed in any shape. The structures are small shelters designed to house the electronic devices, which also may be located inside an enclosure, and in some cases the structures are dwellings and/or commercial establishments.
The enclosures and structures are generally installed outdoors. Accordingly, any sensitive electronic devices contained in the enclosures and structures are subjected to the ambient weather and other environmental conditions each time the enclosures and structures are opened to allow service personnel access to the hardware and devices located inside. Enclosures include, for example, cross-boxes, tandem boxes, digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) boxes, demarcation network interface devices (NID), splice cases, mesa cabinets, remote terminal sites, SLCC sites, and splice locations are not weatherproof, they generally cannot be accessed during inclement weather. While other protection devices may offer some protection against rain that falls vertically (e.g., perpendicular to the Earth's surface), these devices do not offer adequate lateral protection and do not completely cover the enclosures, openings in the structures being worked in, from the sides. Therefore, both the service personnel, the hardware and/or equipment are subject to laterally driven environmental influences such as rain, snow, hail, and other windblown matter, and any types of inclement weather conditions laterally driven towards the sides of the enclosures and or structures either directly or at some angle thereto.
When it is necessary to perform service on the electronic devices contained in the outdoor enclosures or dwellings, service personnel must provide the service at the site where the enclosure or dwelling is located. When the service is performed during inclement weather conditions, there exists a chance that any electronic devices located inside the enclosure or structure will be affected by the inclement weather. This is true whether there is driving rain, wind, blown sand, dust, and dirt. The service personnel also require protection while servicing the hardware and equipment in such inclement weather conditions. Therefore, while the service personnel are servicing the electronic devices and other equipment contained in the outdoor enclosure during equipment upgrades, testing, maintenance, service outage problems, and other service requirements, the technician and the electrical and/or electronic hardware devices and other equipment must be protected to prevent them from exposure to inclement weather conditions and degrading over time. Telecommunication systems failures due to degraded electronic devices and other equipment cause unnecessary labor costs associated with the replacement of the electronic devices and other equipment. This includes the labor costs associated with sending a technician in the field to perform the repairs, the cost of having customers or users out of service, and any other costs associated with making unnecessary trouble shooting calls.